Keith didn't answer right away. His steps remained steady through the corridors of the mansion, as if Pavel's question was not important enough to respond to immediately.Only after a few seconds, he finally spoke without turning his head. "Forgot to do something?" His tone was flat, almost sounding like an empty mumble.
Pavel nodded slowly. "Young Master Lucian is over there."
Keith finally stopped, but not out of surprise-more like someone who just realized there was a small interruption in his journey. He sighed, then finally turned his head slightly towards Pavel.
"So? Did you expect anything from me?"
Pavel was silent for a moment, suppressing his urge to sigh again. "At the very least, a greeting, Master."
Keith didn't answer right away. There was something in his eyes-not anger, not hatred, but rather cold indifference.
Finally, he just chuckled, but without a trace of warmth. "What for? I don't think that kid needs it."
Keith walked a few steps then said something without turning around, "Oh yeah, prepare dinner for today, and tell Julian and that kid too. I have something to talk about." Saying that, he resumed his steps.
Pavel was silent for a moment at the command. His eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, a glimmer of hope appeared in his mind. "What is this? The great lord will open his heart to Young Master Lucian?" he thought, hardly believing what he had just heard.
"Yes, My Lord. I will prepare it immediately." Pavel bowed and waited until the duke's steps had completely disappeared down the hall. After that, he stood up straight and let out a long breath.
He then turned around, and stared at the outer door of the mansion. Her gaze went to Lucian who was still standing there, who was currently looking stony silent amidst the dispersing crowd. The afternoon breeze rustled the black cloak Lucian wore, creating long shadows in the leaning sunlight.
"This is a good start," Pavel said to himself, his eyes not leaving the figure. There was a glimmer of hope that he tried to keep, small as it was. "Be encouraged, Young Master...!" murmured Pavel with eyes that sparkled at this moment.
With the spirit that gathered inside him at this moment, Pavel began to continue his steps to prepare the banquet requested by Keith earlier, for him this might be the opportunity that would repair the relationship between father and son.
Meanwhile, Lucian noticed Pavel's current behavior. He raised his eyebrows, squinting as if trying to read something hidden in the butler's expressions and movements.
"Why is he suddenly acting like that?" Lucian muttered to himself as he watched Pavel move.
He stood where he was for a while, letting the afternoon breeze make his slightly messy hair float in the breeze. After welcoming Duke Hale and the family troops, the servants quickly returned to their respective duties, leaving the front courtyard now noticeably quieter.
Lucian let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly as his flat expression turned weary. His eyes still gazed at the backs of Pavel and Keith who disappeared behind the door of the mansion, then he touched the mask that covered half of his face.
Then, he casually stepped away from where he was now. He had a lot to think about at the moment. He walked towards his room with calm steps, although his mind was filled with various considerations.
Once in his room, he closed the door and took off his mask, placing it on the desk. He then stretched his body a little before sitting on the chair.
"Huh, really can't be expected." Lucian clicked his tongue with an annoyed expression, his eyes narrowed sharply as if he was assessing something disappointing. Casually, he leaned back in his chair, folding his legs in a lazy yet elegant gesture.
"There's not even any info from the guild yet," he muttered softly, his fingers tapping the arms of the chair in a slow rhythm. His sharp eyes flashed with impatience. "Is it that hard to find someone? Even though from any side such a person should be easy to find anywhere." He continued, then clicked his tongue lightly.
He leaned his body against the back of the chair, staring up at the ceiling of the room as if hoping that something he hoped for would fall from there.
"Though if I can cooperate with that guild, I'll get a good ally," he thought to himself. His gaze was directed towards the glass window at this moment, gazing at the golden rays of afternoon sunlight. "Especially if it attracts Reynald Florance's attention directly."
He then looked down, his fingers interlaced in front of him now-flat face. "I hope he's not a troublesome person..." he murmured softly, exhaling, his head resting in hes palms.
In The Luminous Hero of Avandor, Duke Reynald is one of the most influential characters, although his role is not always prominent. However, for Lucian who knew the game's storyline, he was one of the few nobles who made sense to work with.
"In the game, he's quite helpful. If I gain his trust, then... "Lucian let his sentence hang, composing various possibilities in his head. "At least I'll have one ally strong enough to deal with the coming changes."
Of course, gaining the trust of a Duke was no easy feat, especially for someone like Lucian Hale who had a bad reputation. However, with this illicit fund flow information, he had an opening to build a favorable relationship. Lucian grinned faintly.
"But now I haven't even gotten any information from them, is it because it's only a few days after the investigation was conducted?" His face slackening, he leaned back against the table and let out a long sigh. Without enough information, he could not take the next step. It was like playing chess in the dark-one wrong move, and he might be caught in a scenario even worse than the original game.
Lucian looked back up at the ceiling of his room in thought. Time was running out, but he still didn't have a strong foothold in this world. If he wanted to survive, he had to be more aggressive in seeking information - he couldn't just wait for everything to come to him.
"I guess I should prepare another plan," he muttered softly, his eyes closed as he tried to recall the future plot of The Luminous Hero of Avandor. Suddenly, the pattering sound of a bird's beak was heard from his bedroom window, it was a messenger bird sent by the guild servant.
Lucian turned his gaze toward the window. A repetitive tapping sound came from the beak of a black bird with sharp eyes looking at him. It was a message bird-one of the communication methods used by the Servant Guild to transmit information securely.
Rising from his chair, Lucian walked over and opened the window. The bird immediately jumped in, gripping the edge of the table with its sharp nails before sticking out a leg bound by a small paper scroll.
Lucian deftly unrolled the scroll and unfolded its contents. His eyes immediately swept over the lines of writing written in dark ink.
"Thanks to you, our investigation into the flow of funds was resolved, right. As you said, the culprit is the queen. We found transaction evidence in the form of confidential documents and financial records that point directly to her. In addition, we have secured several key witnesses who are aware of the illicit flow of funds. Thanks to you, we also got additional information about the crown prince and it's all in our hands now. By the way, we can play chess again later, I look forward to it."
Lucian tapped the tip of the letter with his finger, his eyes narrowed as he digested the contents. "Playing chess, huh...? That means they agreed to work with me."
He unfolded the paper further, discovering the rest of the letter.
"Young Master, as for your previous request. we are quite doubtful about what we have found. Because the information about him that you sent was scanty, so we had a hard time finding the person you are looking for. But don't worry, we won't call ourselves Servent if we don't fulfill our client's request, you can meet with him to confirm if he is the person you are looking for."
Lucian stared at the line carefully, a faint smile creeping onto his currently satisfied face, "This...is finally what I've been waiting for. Damn it... you made me wait too long." He then wrote the last line of the letter, looking at it for a long time.
"To be honest, I was hesitant to write this but I suddenly remembered what you said earlier. The Empire really has performed summoning magic that can summon people from another world. I'm not going to ask further about it, but I think I should tell you this.
Signed, Alpha."
Lucian closed his eyes for a moment, then chuckled, not a laugh of happiness, but more like a long sigh wrapped in bitterness. "Of course..." he murmured softly, placing the letter on the table carefully. "I myself would be surprised if he didn't exist in this world."
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as he pressed his fingers to his temples. "Even if it could make my life more peaceful..."
A moment of silence fell over the room, the afternoon breeze again blowing through the open window. A smirk on Lucian's face now, he rubbed his face, then looked up at the ceiling of the room maintaining his grin. "If it's true that this has entered the game scenario, then soon other important events will also begin to occur."
Lucian stared at the letter now clutched tightly in his hand. His mind was spinning rapidly, trying to find an opening in this evolving situation.
Lucian's eyes returned to the bird currently perched on his desk. He stared at it sharply then hurriedly picked up a piece of paper and searched for an ink pen to reply to the letter from the Servent guild.
"Thank you for sending this information to me, the chess game last time was a lot of fun. I'm also looking forward to playing chess with you again. Oh, as for my previous request, please keep an eye on that guy for a few more days, I'll see him as soon as possible, and also if you find any interesting information about that knight, would it be okay for me to know?
Signed, Lucian Hale."
After making sure the message was clear enough, Lucian rolled up the paper, tucked it into the small tube at the feet of the message bird, then let it fly back to its sender. He sighed softly, leaning his back against the chair, his fingers tapping the table in a slow rhythm. "Now it's just a matter of waiting for the report from them..."
The game scenario of The Luminous Hero of Avandor did involve summoning the protagonist at the beginning of the story and the main problem faced by the guardian was the case about the empire's illegal flow of funds. But Lucian had already taken this step before the story even started, would everything go according to the way he knew it would? Lucian turned his gaze out the window, looking up at the scorching sky that was slowly dimming.
"Alright," he murmured, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile. "Let's see what this game is like now."